#Interview Meet Author Tracie Delaney @tracie_delaney

I was fortunate to meet my next lovely guest at a writers’ event last year and was delighted when she agreed to pop over to my blog for a chat about her new novel, Winning Ace, released 29th May. Allow me to welcome author, Tracie Delaney.

The Fun Stuff:

What part of the world do you come from?

I’ve lived my whole life in the North West of England and I currently live just outside the wonderful Roman City of Chester.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A vet. I love dogs and horses and in my younger years I was an avid horse rider. Unfortunately I discovered at an early age I was terrible at science (sobs)

List three words to describe yourself.

Determined, Flexible, Trustworthy

Who would play you in a film about your life?

I’d love Angelina Jolie to play me, but sadly, the only thing we have in common is tattoos (although I have a bit of catching up to do before I can compete with Angie) 🙂

What’s your favourite snack food when writing?

Mints. Those mixed mint bags. Marks and Spencer’s are the best. Oh and coffee. I know that’s not a food, but my greatest fear is running out of coffee.

If you had a super power, what would it be?

The ability to travel through time. I’d love to go back to the fifties and then fast-forward into the future to see how things had changed.

Tell us a little about yourself. (How did you get started writing? What do you do when you’re not writing?)

I’ve always been obsessed with books. As a child I could be found with one of two things in my hand; a book or a bridle.

A few years ago I had an idea for a story and the characters would not leave me alone. After several sleepless nights, I gave in and began writing. Naively, I thought writing The End was in fact, the end. How wrong I was. I quickly discovered I had a lot to learn so I sought out a writing mentor. We worked together for almost four years. I owe her a lot.

When I’m not writing, I’m either reading or watching the current or past series of The Walking Dead. I’m also an avid tennis fan. I adore Roger Federer. I’ve followed his career for over fifteen years and am desperately trying not to think about his eventual retirement. With any luck, he will be around for many years to come.

Where did the inspiration for Winning Ace come from?

Nowhere apart from my ever-churning mind, although as the hero is a tennis player, my love and understanding of the game certainly made writing those scenes easier. The tennis elements are very much a bit-part player though. The story centres around a mismatched couple; the tennis player with a deep distrust of the press, and the journalist desperate for a story to advance her career, but at what cost?

Do you find it hard to write Romance novels?

Writing anything is hard, whether that’s a blog post, a novella or a full length novel. I do love writing romance though. I think we all need a bit of escapism in our lives.

How do you carry out your research?

Google is your friend! I also utilise my own knowledge if I’ve visited a location which features in my novels. I’m also very fortunate to belong to several online book clubs for authors. Those clubs are full of very generous people who are happy to share information.

I dislike researching though (unlike my husband who can spend hours researching anything), but it is a necessary evil. I tend to research during rewrites rather than first draft. My manuscripts have placeholders all over them.

Can you give us a brief excerpt from your latest novel?

Ah, brevity – not one of my strengths, so I’ve included two. One very short and one a little bit longer. Feel free to include either or both.

Tally heaved a sigh of relief as the attention moved away from her, and her pulse had almost returned to normal when a warm hand curved around the back of her neck. She glanced over her shoulder—and her stomach jolted. Cash bent down and softly whispered in her ear, “Don’t think you’ve got away with it, sweetness. I know everyone here, except you. Believe me, I’ll be rectifying the situation.”

“Okay, sweetness, let’s play. But I warn you, I play hard. And I play to win.”

What can we expect from you in the future?

Winning Ace is the first novel in a serial trilogy. The other two novels in the series, Losing Game and Grand Slam, are already written and going through edits. I’m planning a fairly fast release schedule. Losing Game will be out mid July with Grand Slam planned for early October. I’ve also written about 65k words of a romantic thriller novel which I’m planning to release early in 2018.

How can we contact you or find out more about your books?

I’m on various platforms and love hearing from readers and other authors

Tracie Delaney is the author of the WinningAce trilogy. She loves nothing more than immersing herself in a good romance, although she sometimes, rather cheekily, makes her characters wait for their HEA.

When she isn’t writing or sitting around with her head stuck in a book, she can often be found watching The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones or any tennis match involving Roger Federer. Her greatest fear is running out of coffee.

Tracie studied accountancy, gaining her qualification in 2001. Her maths teacher would no doubt be stunned by this revelation considering Tracie could barely add two plus two at high school.

Tracie lives in the North West of England with her amazingly supportive husband. They both share a love of dogs, travel and wine.

Book Blurb:

When the opportunity arises for journalist Tally McKenzie to meet tennis ace Cash Gallagher, she grabs it without hesitation. Desperate for a killer story to advance her career, she’ll have to betray her idol and her own morals into the bargain if she is to succeed.

Renowned bad boy Cash wants one thing; to remain at the top of his game. He’s fought hard to get there, and he’s not about to lose his crown, especially over a woman.

When Cash divulges personal information, Tally seizes her chance and writes an explosive article. Incensed, Cash sets out to get his revenge. Except the darling of centre court gets more than he bargained for—a passionate affair with a woman he should detest.

But Cash is a man with secrets—secrets that could destroy his career. Dare he take the risk? Or is the cost too great, even for his perfect match.

*Please note this novel is written in British English and includes British idioms.

Winning Ace is the first novel in an overarching three book series and as such does not have an HEA.
Book Series Publication Dates

Exciting news! I’ve been nominated for the Most Inspirational Blogger Award 2017 at the Bloggers Bash.

The criteria is: Who consistently inspires you? Is there a blogger that’s thought provoking and inquisitive? Or perhaps they have become a muse to you with constant provision of inspirational content or imagery? Who’s the one blogger that’s touched your heart? This is the nomination for them.

I would be eternally grateful if you could throw a vote my way – link HERE

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Published by shelleywilson72

I'm Shelley, an English author of motivational self-help titles and young adult fantasy fiction. My sensible side writes non-fiction books to inspire you to survive and thrive, and my playful side writes young adult fiction to remind you to nurture that inner teen.
I'm a freelance writer helping small businesses position themselves as an expert in their field through online/written content.
You'll find me sharing book reviews, author interviews, and chatting about writing on my author blog and talking about personal development on my motivational blog.
I'm a single mum of three. I love vampires, history and self-help, solo trips to the cinema, and travelling.
View all posts by shelleywilson72

I write romance novels and I love coffee, so I’d say that gives us a lot in common, but really, not many authors of any genre (at least the ones I know) don’t love coffee.

I will say your novel intrigues me because of tennis. My daughter is going to college in the fall, and she secured a scholarship to play tennis for the university. We’re a big tennis family. (Well, we follow a lot of sports, actually. Right now we’re obsessed with the Stanley Cup hockey finals.) Wishing you much luck with the story.

About Me

I'm Shelley, an English author of motivational self-help titles and young adult fantasy fiction. My sensible side writes non-fiction books to inspire you to survive and thrive, and my playful side writes young adult fiction to remind you to nurture that inner teen.
I'm a freelance writer helping small businesses position themselves as an expert in their field through online/written content.
You'll find me sharing book reviews, author interviews, and chatting about writing on my author blog and talking about personal development on my motivational blog.
I'm a single mum of three. I love vampires, history and self-help, solo trips to the cinema, and travelling.